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Peacock's caterpillar


Peacock's caterpillar
Photo Information
Copyright: Milos Koudelka (mikou) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 840 W: 67 N: 1311] (5269)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-06-13
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon PowerShot S2 IS, Mora Close-up 58mm +4
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/25 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-07-15 1:24
Viewed: 850
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Hi everyone.
Next the picture from unreaped meadowland behind ours garden.
These caterpillars of European peacock (Inachis io) are plenty on nettles at their food.
Wonderful sunday for all.
With greeting Milos.

----------------------------------------------------
Several information on caterpillars:
Morphology
Most caterpillars have tubular, segmented bodies. They have three pairs of true legs on the three thoracic segments, up to four pairs of prolegs on the middle segments of the abdomen, and often a single pair of prolegs on the last abdominal segment. There are ten abdominal segments. The families of lepidoptera differ in the numbers and positioning of the prolegs.
Caterpillars have 4,000 muscles (the human being has only 629!). They move through contraction of the muscles in the rear segments pushing the blood forward into the front segments elongating the torso. The average caterpillar has 248 muscles in the head segment alone.
Caterpillars do not have good vision. They have a series of six tiny eyelets or 'stemmata' on each side of the lower portion of their head. These can probably form well focused, but poorly resolved images. They move their heads from side to side probably as a means of judging distance of objects, particularly plants. They rely on their short antennae to help them locate food.
Some caterpillars are able to detect vibrations, usually at a highly specific frequency. Caterpillars of the common hook-tip moth, Drepana arcuata (Drepanoidea) produce sounds to defend their silk nests from members of their own species, by scraping against the leaf in a ritualized acoustic duel. They detect the vibrations conducted by the plant and not air-borne sounds. Similarly, cherry leaf rollers Caloptilia serotinella defend their rolls. Tent caterpillars can also detect vibrations at the frequency of wing beats of one of their natural enemies.
Defense
Many species of animals feed on caterpillars as they are protein rich, and caterpillars in turn have evolved various defenses. Some caterpillars have large false eyes towards the rear of their abdomen. This helps convince predators that their back is actually their front, giving them an opportunity to escape when attacked. Others have a body coloration that closely resembles their food plant, or common objects in the environment, such as bird droppings or twigs. Many feed in leaf mines, ties, rolls or silk galleries. Others will use startle or intimidation, with the sudden presentation of eyespots or snake mimicry. Some species use a silk line and drop off the branches when disturbed.
Behavior
Caterpillars have rightly been called eating machines. They eat leaves voraciously, shed their skins generally four or five times, and eventually pupate into an adult form. Measured by weight increase, caterpillars have a very fast growth rate. For instance, a tobacco hornworm will increase its own weight ten thousand times in less than twenty days. One of their adaptations that enables them to eat this much is a mechanism in a specialized midgut which transports ions at a very high rate to the lumen (midgut cavity), to keep the potassium level higher in the midgut cavity than in the blood.
(source:Wikipedia encyclopedia)
jcoowanitwong, taba, jaycee, cicindela, phlr, JORAPAVI, Juyona, haraprasan, XOTAELE has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

hi milos,
nice capture, sharp image with good details the leaf makes a nice bg for the caterpillar, nice colours tones, good pov,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2007-07-15 1:31]

Hi Milos,
a decent shot.
Sharp and detailed.
Well done,
Joe

Hi Milos, lovely caterpillar with wonderful details, splendid sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

Hi Milos,
This is a good example of defense system. The head and tail are very similar. You captured with sharp details. Great colors contrast. Very well done.
JC

  • Great 
  • taba Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 481 W: 128 N: 304] (1703)
  • [2007-07-15 6:45]

Hi Milos
Very good capture with fine details and grea DOF.
The POV is great too, we can see all the detailed body of the caterpillar.
well done.
Taba

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2007-07-15 8:33]

Hi Milos,

A wonderful capture of this handsome caterpillar. Excellent colors and details - I love the patterns made of the small white dots. Looks perfect on the green leaf.

Jane

Dear Milos,
it is nice to see your new picture :)
This caterpillar is not rare and even very common, but here it is very well presented :)
Deatilas and POV clearly allow to recognize this species and find all species features.
TFS and have a nice afternoon,
Radomir

Hi dear Milos ,
very nice image with great details.
sharpness and light are excellent too.
well done
my best wishes
Saeed

Hola MIlos,
Excelente macro con gran definición y mucho detalle, Saludos
José Ramón

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1899 W: 36 N: 5579] (18518)
  • [2007-07-16 7:57]

Hi Milos,
Splendid portrait shot of this larva in all its glory. Nice spotted and spiky body with interesting sections captured with immaculate sharpness. Set against the green leaf as BG it stands out well. Amazing how this transforms into a beautiful Peacock. Excellent POV and a precise DOF. Very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

  • Great 
  • Ken52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 640 W: 98 N: 1241] (4189)
  • [2007-07-16 15:38]

Hi Milos,
WOW. You have done and outstanding job with exposure. I think it is difficult to get good light on black subject without overexposing white, but you have done it so well. And, as a result we can see just how perfect your focus is by the nice details on the caterpillar. Well done my friend.
Ken

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2264 W: 10 N: 2633] (15577)
  • [2007-07-16 16:05]

Hola Milos,
original caterpillar,
detalles y color...
buen trabajo amigo,
saludos

Hi Milos,
A beautiful caterpillar. Very nice colors and details. Thanks a lot for sharing.

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2233 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2007-07-18 6:45]

Hello Milos,
wonderful sharp image with lovely detail and great colors.
The DOF is excellent sharpness from tail to nose.
Very well done.
Sky

Una interesante vista de este gusano con unos colores tan llamativos.
Buenos tonos y equilibrados tonos.
Un saludo, JL.

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